Author comes out of his shell with debut

AN author from Henley has published his first book.

The Shell and Other Stories has been written by Colin Barker, 72, of Norman Avenue.

The book is a collection of 22 short stories which address every aspect of human nature.

It has been published by Troubador and is available on Amazon, as an ebook, and from Henley’s Bell Bookshop priced £7.99.

The book features a diverse range of content, characters and settings, and the reader is taken on a worldwide journey through almost every sphere of society.

A Sri Lankan shell-seller, overwhelmed by the cruel hand life has dealt him, must make some difficult decisions, a seemingly innocent couple are not quite what they seem, a spy lost in enemy territory must outwit his pursuers, an Italian philanderer’s misdeeds catch up with him, and a young man must prove his worth to a very influential boss.

Mr Barker said: “I travel very widely and some of the stories draw on my experiences of being abroad. There’s humour, there’s tragedy, there’s the supernatural and there’s a love interest.

“Writing really has always been a passion of mine and now I’m retired it’s given me time to do it.”

Mr Barker took a creative writing course at The Henley College about 10 years ago and has also written a novel about 14th century Tuscany called Mayhem in Tuscany, but this is yet to be published.

Born in Gloucester, he obtained a degree in behavioural science from the University of Birmingham before working both in corporate personnel management and as the owner of a bed and breakfast in Twyford. He is now retired.

He is now working on his third book, focusing on the relationship between animals and people, which he hopes to have published in the spring.